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Ferner edges McLain for YAIAA girls title

Kennard-Dale's Maddie Ferner races to the finish line during the YAIAA girls' cross country championship meet Tuesday at Gettysburg. Ferner pulled away in the final 800 meters to beat Eastern York's Maddie McLain by more than eight seconds.(Photo: Clare Becker &#8212; GameTimePA&#46;com)

As the two leaders of the YAIAA cross country championships girls race rounded the two-mile mark Tuesday, spectators from all directions yelled, "go Maddie!"

But it wasn't clear exactly who they were encouraging.

Kennard-Dale senior Maddie Ferner and Eastern York sophomore Maddie McLain, who have become good friends in two years competing against each other, jogged side-by-side ahead of the rest of the rest of the pack.

"I like to think everyone saying, 'Go Maddie,' is saying it for me," said Ferner, the Maddie who broke the deadlock in the final 800 meters to win the race at Gettysburg. "It feels like more people are cheering me on."

But if you ask McLain, they're all cheering for her.

"I use everyone for my motivation, honestly," she said. "Once in a while you'll hear your last name or Kennard-Dale or Eastern, but I use it all for motivation."

By the end of the race, some of the more creative Kennard-Dale spectators changed their cheers to "Go Mookie" — Ferner's childhood nickname — or "Go Bertha" — her middle name — as Ferner crossed the finish line in 19 minutes, 7.01 seconds, more than eight seconds ahead of McLain.

At a hill near the three-mile marker, Ferner made her move and pulled away. She shortened her strides on the way down the hill and extended her lead.

"I started working hard up the hill because I know that, mentally, everyone hates hills," Ferner said. "I knew that, mentally, if I worked hard up it and I crest the hill, I could open up a gap. I did and once I got down the hill I opened it up even more."

Ferner's victory adds another chapter to the competition between the Maddies, a competition that's led to a friendship between the Division III rivals. They exchange text messages all season to see how each other performed at dual meets and to talk about running, and they plan to get together to train alongside each other in the offseason. After Tuesday's race, they hugged and congratulated each other on their finishes.

"She's just such an awesome, nice girl, and her and I just clicked and became friends," Ferner said. "There's competition there, but she motivates me, I motivate her — it's a great relationship."

Now that the YAIAA season is in the books, both Maddies turn their attention toward the District 3 meet Oct. 31. They'll push each other again, as they'll both be competing in the Class AA race.

McLain sets her sights on finishing in the top three — unless, of course, she can find a way to beat her friend and take first.

"I know from today what I have to work on: those last 800 meters," McLain said. "I like running with her because she definitely pushes me. Even though we're not in AAA, we're able to get times as fast as those AAA girls."